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EDGAR B. BEACH, OF WEST MERIDEN, CONNECTICUT.

Letters Patent No. 76,976, dated April 21, 1868. f

IMPROVEMENT IN BEE-RIVES.

TO ALL WHOM IT'MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, EDGAR B. BEACH, o'f West Meriden, in 'the county nt' New llaven, and State of Con necticut, have invented a new Improvement in Bee-Hives; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken *in connection with the accompanying drawings, and the letters of' reference-marked thereon, to be ai'ull, clear, and exact description of the same, and'which said drawings constitute part ofthis specification, and reprenent, in Y Figure 1, a perspective view.

Figure 2, the outer'boarding` removed.

Figure 3, the honey-board removed.

Figure 4:, the frames and their case removed; and Vin Figure 5, a section of the-frames. v

This invention relates to an improvement in the construction of hives for bees, and consists- First, in the arrangement of an o.uter boarding which, while it covers the honey-boxes through thcvsenson, may be closed down in winter, and thus form a double-boarded hive.

Second, in the arrangement of frames in a case, independent of andiso as to be removed from. the principal case; and i i Third, inthe arrangement ofthe floor in the frame-case, so that it maybe dropped or inclined to open the case beneath the frames.

To enable others to construct my improvement, I will proceed-to describe the same as illustrated `in the accompanying drawings.

A is the inner case, or hive proper, having a ledge, B, around its base, eo that an outer boarding, C, may set down on to the said ledge and cover the hive, as seen in iig.r 1. 'The top of the case is covered by the honeyboard, D, which is removable from the ease, so as to open, as seen in iig. 3. a are frames, which are set into an inner case, E, as seen in iig. 4, of which F is the Hoor, the said frames being suspended by a metallic 'pin er tenon, as denoted in ig. 4, and the said case fitted into the case A, so as to be drawn from the ease A at the back, the back, G, of the case E forming also the-back ofv the case A; therefore, by removing the outer case, C, from the case A, then the caseG may be drawn out partially or entirely from the ease A, so that the case and hive may generally be examined without danger of disturbing the cemb'in the frames, and each case being independent initsel', andsuspended on metallic pivots, the bees will not glue down the frames, as they will when the frames are suspended upon wood bearings as heretofore constructed. Therefore, each frame -may be removed, so that every frame and every part of the hivemay be examined without disturbing or injuring the comb.

The honeydaoxes are placed on the honey-board D, and then the outer ease* placed over the saine, which raises the outer case in proportion to the boxes so placed on the honey-board, but when the season is over and the boxes removed, then the Ioutercasc is dropped down over the inner, so as to make a complete double boarded hive. i i

Itis at all times desirable to open beneath the hive for examination, or' for the purpose of hiving bees. 'lo [lo this, I pivot the floor into the ease E at a, as seen in lig. 5, so that the iloor rnaybe dropped down, as denoted in said iig. 5, and givey access or a, large opening'to the hive from below." 'lhe said floor is secnred ih its up positionby a slide-bolt, H, (see fig. 1,) or other` convenient device.- I

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and useful, `and desi-re to secure by Letters Patent, isl The combination4 of the outcr ense C with the inner case A, when the inner case is provided with a `frame-case, E, and so as to be removed from the oase A,`and so as to be closed by thc outer case4 C, substantiallyv as and for the purposespecied.

EDGAR B. BEACH.

Witnesses: i

OnvILLn H. PLATZ?,- RATCLIFFE Hrcns. 

